OpenClaw Studio

OpenClaw Studio is a Next.js dashboard for managing OpenClaw agents via the OpenClaw Gateway (WebSocket).

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ (LTS recommended)
• OpenClaw Gateway running (local or remote)
• Tailscale (optional, recommended for tailnet access)

Quick start

Start the gateway (required)

If you don't already have OpenClaw installed:

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Start a gateway (foreground):

openclaw gateway run --bind loopback --port 18789 --verbose

Helpful checks:

openclaw gateway probe
openclaw config get gateway.auth.token

Tailnet access via Tailscale Serve (recommended)

Most people keep the gateway bound to loopback and use Tailscale Serve on the gateway host.

On the gateway host:

openclaw config set gateway.tailscale.mode serve
openclaw config set gateway.auth.mode token

Restart your gateway. Then:

tailscale serve status

Take the HTTPS URL from tailscale serve status and convert it to a WebSocket URL for Studio:

• https://gateway-host.your-tailnet.ts.net -> wss://gateway-host.your-tailnet.ts.net

Install + run Studio (recommended)

npx -y openclaw-studio
cd openclaw-studio
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 and set:

• Token: openclaw config get gateway.auth.token
• Gateway URL: wss://gateway-host.your-tailnet.ts.net (tailnet via tailscale serve)
• Gateway URL: ws://127.0.0.1:18789 (local gateway)
• Gateway URL: ws://your-host:18789 (direct remote port, no tailscale serve)

Notes:

• If Studio is served over https://, the gateway URL must be wss://... (browsers block ws:// from https:// pages).

SSH tunneling (alternative)

If you prefer SSH tunneling to a remote host:

ssh -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@your-host

Then connect Studio to ws://127.0.0.1:18789.

Install (manual)

git clone https://github.com/grp06/openclaw-studio.git
cd openclaw-studio
npm install
npm run dev

Configuration

Paths and key settings:

• OpenClaw config: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (or OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH / OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR)
• Studio settings: ~/.openclaw/openclaw-studio/settings.json
• Default gateway URL: ws://127.0.0.1:18789 (override via Studio Settings or NEXT_PUBLIC_GATEWAY_URL)

Troubleshooting

• Missing config: Run openclaw onboard or set OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH
• Gateway unreachable: Confirm the gateway is running and NEXT_PUBLIC_GATEWAY_URL matches
• Auth errors: Studio currently prompts for a token. Check gateway.auth.mode is token and gateway.auth.token is set in openclaw.json (or run openclaw config get gateway.auth.token).
• Still stuck: Run npx -y openclaw-studio@latest doctor --check (and --fix --force-settings to safely rewrite Studio settings).

Architecture

See ARCHITECTURE.md for details on modules and data flow.